With hundreds of teachers, dozens of schools, and thousands of students, the Central Kitsap School Board has many voices to listen to and consider as they make their decisions. The representatives of the Central Kitsap Educators Association, such as union representative Jennifer Rumpke, requested a meeting with the Board to make their voices heard.
“The union had reached out to board members inviting them to come and meet with representatives of the union to share stories of teachers’ experiences within the district,” Rumpke said. “And the school board rejected that invitation because they claimed that it would be a conflict of interest in terms of the bargaining process.”
The request for the meeting was not granted, for reasons specified in a March email from Board President Eric Greene.
“CKEA and the School Board share a legal relationship regarding negotiations over the terms and conditions of employment for certificated staff,” Greene said in the email. “At this time, while bargaining is ongoing, we believe it is most appropriate to work through our existing bargaining teams, which are fully empowered to hear concerns, exchange proposals, and work toward agreements. Meeting outside of the bargaining process raises concerns regarding direct dealing, as well as the risk of conducting a serial open public meeting in potential violation of the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA). Additionally, such a meeting could create the perception that the bargaining team lacks the authority to address the important issues being discussed at the table.”
With the denied request, several members of the CKEA showed up at the April 30 board meeting to speak during public comment, a time for community members to speak directly to the board.
“When I learned that the CKEA had invited school board members to hear stories and experiences from teachers, I felt really hopeful,” CKHS teacher Kendra Richards said. “It seemed like a really meaningful step towards unity and understanding between the CKSD staff and the board, which is why it was really deeply disappointing to hear that the board had declined to meet with CKEA leadership and chose not to hear the stories that we’ve prepared.”
The board does not typically respond directly after public comment, but Greene did comment.
“We did respond,” Greene said. “We did not decline to meet with you. (…) We have every intention of meeting with you once negotiations are over with. We welcome the opportunity to do so, and we intend to do so.”
Many teachers still chose to show up at the meeting to bring up their points, with each speaker given three minutes at the podium to talk during the public comment section.
“This shadow of despair, as I call it, is fueled by three great impediments to a smoothly running school district,” retired teacher JD Sweet said. “Lack of transparency, poor communication, and the perceptions of many. Communication faults can be easily remedied. The perceptions of many are the most difficult to rectify.”
Some members chose to include specific examples from their experiences with their classes.
“I have a student with over 42 documented major incidents, including inappropriate physical contact with peers, verbal abuse towards students and adults, and repeated suspensions,” CKMS teacher Brandy Fairfax said. “Despite these consequences, the behavior continues almost daily. Another student in the same class regularly interrupts instruction with off-topic comments about animals, food, and unrelated interests, while arriving late nearly every day. A third student who had a behavior intervention plan refuses to complete any assignments and frequently targets another classmate with [inaudible] bullying, including profanity and ableist insults.”
Most speakers shared the same sentiment: that more support is needed inside the classroom.
“We’re not asking for miracles,” Fairfax said. “We’re asking for basic tools, time, and support to do our jobs, to teach, to protect our students, and to uphold the safe and respectful learning environment we are dedicated to. We love our students, but that isn’t enough, because this job isn’t just hard. It’s becoming unsustainable.”
Once done hearing from teachers, the board decided to stick to their decision.
“After careful consideration and consultation with legal counsel, we concluded that meeting at this time during open bargaining could place both parties in a vulnerable position legally.” Director Meghan Hein said in an email.
Although this board meeting didn’t achieve the CKEA’s intended outcome, the teachers continue their efforts to spread their message.
“I would hope that we wouldn’t have to ask [for a meeting],” Rumpke said. “I would hope that the school board felt a duty to know what teachers’ experiences were in all of the different schools in this district, and to do that by being present, having meetings with teachers, wanting to be informed, and taking opportunities and creating those opportunities for themselves. You’re not getting informed by showing up at a school play, you’re not getting informed by volunteering for lunch monitor duty once a week, and you’re not getting informed by hovering in the corner of my classroom for five minutes in September. So, I would like to have school board members who take the responsibility of that position seriously, and seek out opportunities on their own.”
